


Changes

by Chrononautical



Series: Endless Apocrypha [4]
Category: Lucifer (TV), The Sandman (Comics)
Genre: Gen, Maze being a badass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-09-26 16:54:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,210
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9912158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chrononautical/pseuds/Chrononautical
Summary: Maze finds what she looks for.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Destruction of the Endless retired, just as Lucifer did. In my very favorite book, Brief Lives, we learn that he travels the world living as a human. Though in the comics he's generally seen as a foil for his brother Dream, the parallels between him and Lucifer are many. Perhaps because his story is visited less often than Lucifer's, he's always seemed to me to be the freer of the two. I love him for that. Since I love the television version of Maze the most, I thought a meeting between the two of them would go well.

There was a demon sitting in his favorite chair—boots propped up on his coffee table—eating an apple with a six inch knife. Instructing his dog Barnabas to remain in the yard, Olethros, one time Lord of Destruction, current Struggling Artist, closed the door calmly and clicked the deadbolt into place.

“Hello!” He didn’t destroy her. Perceived rudeness was no reason not to greet her cheerfully. The only danger a demon presented was to his concealment, and it was always possible that she didn’t know whose home she’d invaded. “Can I help you?” 

“Not sure.” Slicing a crisp piece of the apple nonchalantly, she chewed slowly and spoke with her mouth full. “I suppose that’s what I’m here to find out.” 

“Oh?” 

“You’re Endless, right? You used to be Destruction?” 

With a twitch of his hand that she probably didn’t even notice, he almost destroyed her again. It would have been the easiest thing in the world, but he suppressed the instinct. Mostly because it was instinct. “I have safeguards in place that should have warned me if anyone came looking.” 

The demon shrugged and cut another piece of the apple. “Finding people is what I do. So why’d you quit?” 

Taking off his flannel jacket, Ollie hung it next to the door as he considered the question. “Why do you ask?” 

“My boss quit. I thought we were just coming to Earth on a vacation, that we’d go back to Hell eventually, but he says this is his home now. We’re never going back.” Her eyes flicked up to him for the first time, steady and measuring. “You’re never going back to your realm either.”

“No, I’m not. Somehow I doubt my reasons are the same as those of the Morningstar. I felt that my job shouldn’t be done anymore. Destruction is the start of change, but every coin has two sides. Those who would create can take responsibility for that which must be destroyed on their own. I suspect that Lucifer still believes that the wicked deserve punishment, he simply no longer wishes to take the blame for it.” 

“Fine.” Kicking her legs off the coffee table, the demon rose fluidly to her feet. “I knew this was a waste of time.” 

“Then why did you come?” Ollie probably couldn’t risk letting her leave alive, even if it meant an act of destruction to silence her. He didn’t want to be found, and she’d be a walking, talking clue for anyone else who came looking. 

“My friend said talking to someone with similar experiences might help me adjust.” The demon hesitated for a moment. “My human friend.” 

“Oh?” While he might pity the demon for being stuck in a realm other than her proper place, in a way it would make destroying her easier. Really, he’d only be putting her out of her misery. 

“She’s not my only friend. I have three. Three friends.” 

Belatedly it occurred to him that this might be a sensitive point for the demon. She seemed to be expecting judgment. Her grip on the fruit in her left hand was so tight she’d be holding applesauce in a minute and she had the knife in a defensive position between them. Even though he had to wipe her out of existence, if she cared about his opinion, he wouldn’t hurt her feelings.

“Humans are great!” Ollie gave her his most supportive smile. “They’re the reason I chose this world to hide on. Mortal though they may be, I’ve considered any number of humans to be good, worthy friends over the centuries.” 

“Whatever.” Looking away, she spun the knife back and forth with absent minded skill. “Don’t brag.” 

It took every shred of Ollie’s will to keep from laughing. Of course she’d been bragging. Demons didn’t have friends. Lovers, masters, and tentative allies were all possible, but friendship was a luxury unheard of in hell where trust was the ultimate anathema. Making even one friend was a huge accomplishment for a creature forced to fight and struggle with every breath, starting with the very first morsel of food it managed to steal from a fellow in that empty place. Changing enough to become capable of friendship was incredible for a being like that. Suddenly Ollie was ashamed of contemplating her destruction merely for the sake of his own convenience. 

“Three friends is plenty, if they’re good ones.” 

The demon’s eyes shifted left, the barest hint of a tell, and Ollie kept his smile on a tight leash. He would bet anything that one or two of those friends were technicalities, maybe children or dogs. She wasn’t lying, and it would never occur to her to count Lucifer in the number, but demons were born to stretch the truth. He could easily see her counting a friendly cat to increase her total a little. She cut herself another bite of the apple. Definitely a cat. 

“They are. The best. They don’t know anything about you, not even that I came looking.” 

She understood then, the danger in coming, that his first, second, and third impulses had been to destroy her. Erasing such bravery would be truly selfish, especially knowing that she would be missed by more than her master. He found that he wanted to help her somehow, even if he had no way of explaining whatever was going on with Lucifer Morningstar to her satisfaction.

“I could return you to Hell, if you wanted.” It would take the smallest touch of his power to put her back where she belonged, barely more than he would have used to destroy her. Only someone hunting him closely would notice. 

“Nah.” Meeting his eyes she offered him the hint of a smile. “I don’t hate it here.” 

For a demon, that was a glowing endorsement of life on Earth. Ollie felt his own smile stretch wide. “You’re just having trouble adjusting. I can understand that! Living as a mortal is anything but easy.”

Shrugging, she cut a piece of the apple and offered it to him. “Only thing to do is figure it out as you go.” 

Accepting the apple slice, Ollie contemplated the prospect of an unprompted gift from a demon. “Do you have a name?”

“Mazikeen.” Again, she hesitated. “My friends call me Maze.” 

“Pleased to meet you, Maze. As I’m sure you know, I’ve been going by Ollie for the last few years. I’m teaching myself to make dolmades if you want to join me in the kitchen. Cooking is a subtle way to show creativity, but it’s a lot of fun! Although I should warn you that my successes can be dubious at the best of times.” 

Maze’s smile was broader than any human’s could have been, the lack of skin on the left side of her face let it truly spread all the way to her exposed ear canal. “Sounds cool,” she said. “Haven’t done much cooking, but I can mix a hell of a cocktail.” 

“Booze is over the sink. Help yourself! Once you’re settled I’ll show you the basics.” Opening the door to let Barnabas rejoin them, Ollie realized that he hadn’t made a real friend since his abdication. Watching her pour two highballs felt like an act of creation.


End file.
